Tournament of Dreams
by GryphonChild
Summary: The Tournament of Dreams: An event from which none have ever returned alive, their souls lost in the mists of time. But now, Team Urameshi has been invited, and they have no choice but to comply... See inside for important entry details.
1. Legends Reborn

**Hiya! This's Lizard, and I'm back with another story, a tournament, to be specific. What'll happen when the boys find themselves participating in an event even more deadly than the Dark Tournament, more terrifying than the Chapter Black tape, and more intense than anything they experienced in the Makai? Well... okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. But the thing is, I need some characters for the other teams. For submission info, see the bottom of this chapter, but DO NOT submit a character via a review. If you do, it will be ignored and deleted (if I can figure out how...). I don't want to get my account frozen, okay? Oh, and QuickEdit hates me so --- means a break in the story and ----- means the end of the chapter, 'k?  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own YYH. Never have, never will. I do own the Tournament of Dreams and the original character who appears in this chapter.  
**  
-----  
  
Chapter One:  
  
_Legends Reborn_  
  
-----  
  
Winter  
Season of ice, season of solitude, season of Death  
Only one left standing, snow around It stained with blood  
Eyes are dimmed by waking nightmares  
Heart is frozen by unshed tears  
Mind is numbed by countless battles  
Soul is aching with intense guilt  
It clutches tightly to shards of ice  
Pieces as fragile as Its shattered dreams  
Pricking its palm with unforgiving memories  
Droplets of blood shine accusingly from the cuts  
Mixing with the blood of friend and foe  
Merging together on bloodstained hands  
It watches, fascinated by the glowing colors in a world of gray  
And then it smiles, smiles at Death  
Steps willingly into His arms  
Warm and comforting, harsh and cold  
And now Death is smiling too  
And He hides it from the world in his gentle embrace; His kiss bringing bittersweet relief  
Death's Kiss is tender as a lover's  
Holding fast to this lost soul  
Leading it on another journey  
And now none are standing, and the snow is died with blood  
In this season of ice, season of solitude, season of Death  
And so it ends.

-Author Unknown, Lore of Nightmares

Legends are told of a tournament of Death, a trial a thousand times more vicious and cruel than the Dark Tournament. None who attended it ever returned, and their disappearances remain a mystery. Are they dead, or held captive? There is no answer. No one knows who holds these brutal slaughters, or what their motives could possibly be. The only written record ever made was a poem, scrawled on the inside of the back cover of a book found on the shores of the River Styx, the river of Death. Now, a century and who knows how many tournaments later, the book sits dusty and forgotten in a shadowy corner of the Great Library. Few remember the tournament, or the horror it had caused. Even now, when all can sense the dark powers rising, they pretend otherwise, trying in vain to hide the truth from themselves.  
  
And the Nightmare begins again. 

---

Yusuke Urameshi walked down the sidewalk, hands thrust sullenly in the pockets of his windbreaker and shoulders hunched in a futile effort to ward off the chill.  
  
"Damnit!" A sudden gust of air tore by, snatching away his words and mussing his gelled hair. With a snarl and a muttered something about killing a certain wind master, Yusuke stopped and fixed his hair as best he could, refusing to budge until assured that it was by no means lying flat and neat. Sighing as this was the fourth time this morning, his friend stopped to wait, long red hair whipping energetically in the brisk autumn wind.  
  
"You'd think they'd cut me some slack by now," Yusuke grumbled as he caught up to Kurama, alias Shuichi Minamino and continued walking. "I mean, I've saved the world from too many demons to count, kept everyone from being brainwashed into becoming psycho killers, and prevented three mass demon infestations, yet they still expect me to keep up with homework." Three years had passed since Yusuke had hosted his tournament, and he had just returned from his exploits and training in the Makai. Life upon his return had gone back to normal, though how he had gotten into high school he would never know. A normal life meant normal rules, and so he was headed, unwillingly, to high school for his junior year.  
  
Stopping abruptly again and crossing his arms, Yusuke made it clear he was not moving, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just skip today."  
  
"Yusuke..." Kurama began warningly, preparing to repeat that Keiko had demanded that Yusuke come and had forced Kurama into the job of seeing Yusuke got as far as the school building. Instead, however, he paused for a split second before whirling around, his rosewhip seeming to manifest from nowhere in his hand.  
  
Without wasting time, Yusuke leapt to his comrade's side, blue light glowing around his right hand for those who were spiritually aware to see, "Another one?" He glanced around before focusing in on a nearby tree branch, eyes narrowed at a pair of soft leather shoes similar to booties peering from the leaf cover on one of the lower branches about twelve feet off the ground. "Who's there?"  
  
"Fast you are, as they say," a thickly accented voice remarked softly, obviously having trouble speaking the human tongue. Its owner stepped into view moments later, revealing himself to be a young elfin child no older than fourteen around Hiei's height. Upon seeing their wary battle stances, he smiled slightly and held out his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Fight you, I will not. I am merely a messenger who comes with a note for you and your friends." Still smiling, he reached to the rope belt tied around his pine green leggings and removed a scroll which he opened with a flourish. Smoothing the bottom of his baggy sleeved white shirt in a motion of formality, he cleared his throat and began to read, either unaware or uncaring that the boys could kill him whenever they chose.  
  
"Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective and heir to Raizen, your presence is requested at the Tournament of Dreams as captain of this competition's guest team. Although teams must normally consist of seven contestants, all able to fight, after careful study and consideration, your team has been deemed an exception." Here the boy paused thoughtfully, his eyes scanning ahead as he fingered the silver embroidery around the neck of his lace-up shirt. "You teammates will be as follows: Kurama, the spirit fox and heir to Yomi; Hiei Jaganshi, the holder of the Jagan Eye and heir to Mukuro; and Kazuma Kuwabara, the ningen." The boy made a face as he spat out the last name, looking nauseated by the idea of an actual full human participating in the tournament. "If any one of your team members is not present, you will be instantly disqualified from further competition. The ferry leaves for Midnight Island in two weeks exactly. We look forward to witnessing your powers in full." Abruptly, he snapped the announcement closed and slipped it back into his belt.  
  
"You will come, will you not?" he inquired, cocking his head and fixing the two below with curious bright green eyes. At first all that Yusuke was able to do was stare, but then he burst out laughing, catching both the boy and Kurama by surprise.  
  
Seeing the elf's look of utter bewilderment, the Spirit Detective sought to explain himself, "You really don't know who you're talking to, do you? I've been in more fights than a shrimp like you could even try to comprehend, and I've won every single one. Besides that, I've just come back from training in the Makai. I think you might be out of your league if you're askin' me to your baby tournament. See ya." With that, Yusuke turned to leave, but stopped when the elf began to speak again, a certain note of ruthless anticipation echoing eerily when heard in the child's sweet soprano, his voice having not yet changed.  
  
"'Baby Tournament'? I think it is you who does not understand. Attendance is not optional; rather, it is required. If you choose not to fight it is your loved ones who shall pay the price. Your Keiko," his eyes glinted devilishly upon seeing the muscles in Yusuke's back tense up, then they roved to meet Kurama's emerald gaze without fear, "and your ningen mother. Despite your... petty training these fights will be hard fought for you. The preliminaries alone will kill many indeed." The boy fell silent, watching for a reaction from beneath half-lowered lids.  
  
"Yusuke," Kurama interjected sharply, "the Tournament of Dreams is not merely another mock Dark Tournament. Many rumors of it have been told, though there was never any proof of its existence till now. From what I learned from my days as a thief, however, there are two facts commonly agreed upon. The competitors are the most elite and skilled fighters chosen indiscriminately from all three realms, and..." Kurama closed his eyes and lowered his head in homage, "none of them have ever returned alive."  
  
The elf glanced at him approvingly, eyes still glowing a pale perimot sheen, "You must be wise indeed to know even that much truth. Indeed, even the victors have yet to survive to tell of the happenings. For your own sake, and that of your friends, I would advise you to cooperate." With a final bow, the child disappeared, leaving Yusuke, who had whirled about with fists clenched, to stare helplessly at the tree branch where the boy had been, struck dumb for the second time this morning.  
  
"It appears our trials are not yet completed," Kurama remarked regretfully, his rose disappearing with a speed rivaling that of the boy's departure. Recovering, Yusuke began to curse colorfully.  
  
"On the upside," Kurama smiled wryly, "you don't have to go to school now."

---

"The Tournament of Dreams?!?" Koenma's knuckles were white from gripping the notice Hiei had brought into his "office". The toddler's face was the same ghastly pale shade, his eyes wide and bulging with terror. "Are you sure?" Kurama nodded grimly in response.  
  
"I don't see what's so awful," Kuwabara said, pounding his fist into his other hand. "We go to their stupid tournament and beat everyone up again. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Nothing... if you want to get yourself killed. Again."  
  
Kuwabara puffed out his chest and fixed his adversary with what he apparently thought was a contemptuous stare, "I didn't die in the Dark Tournament. I survived Toguro's finishing blow."  
  
Hiei threw a scornful glance of his own in Kuwabara's direction, "Only because he made sure not to kill you. Who would want the stain of having sunken so low as to kill you on their record?"  
  
"What was that, Shorty?"  
  
"Hn." Kurama shook his head, smiling despite the situation. Three whole years, and neither of them had grown up.  
  
"Stop it!" Startled, four heads jerked around to stare, taken aback, at the overwrought leader. "Don't you understand? This is no joke! If this truly exists, it means the rumors are true..." Koenma trailed off and reached for a file folder at the upper corner of his desk. Opening it, he shuffled through several old pieces of parchment before finding a packet of papers he wanted. "If the Lore is correct than none of it is a lie..." Flipping through the packet, he continued to mutter furiously to himself, leaving the boys to exchange uncomfortable looks.  
  
Finally, Koenma's head jerked up, and he pressed a button on the arm of his chair, causing the screen in front of his desk to crackle into life. It displayed a worn black, leather-bound book covered in odd runes that pulsed with their own light. "That is the Lore of Nightmares," Koenma intoned in a low voice, hushed with awe and terror. "In it are tales of happenings worse than you can imagine, worse than the Chapter Black tape Sensui's followers were forced to witness. The text itself is written in blood, and it is the only known record of the Tournament of Dreams. Even so, this single record has allowed us to infer very little about the events; we know neither who holds the tournament nor why they choose to do so. Apparently, though, death is preferable to what participants are put through, and death is the path every one of the contestants chose. We never even located their souls." Kuwabara's eyes went wide, a whimper escaping his throat; Yusuke swallowed hard before Koenma continued.  
  
"I'm afraid," he murmured, "that this is beyond my powers, beyond even my father's powers. The only thing you can do is comply... and hope." 

-----

**Well, there's the first chapter. Now for the submission info. First, go to the link at the top of the page that'll take you to my author bio. Click on the link to my homepage and go to the section labeled "YYH Fanfiction". There you should find a link to the entry form, detailing exactly what I need from you. The more info you put, the more prominent a role your character is likely to have. Anything else you need to know should be detailed on the form. I need about one member per team (not necessarily the captain) before I can write the prelims, but as long as I've got a few entries I can get the next chapter up really fast. Also, I'm not that popular a writer, so I'm mainly relying on word of mouth for characters (hint, hint).  
  
Oh, and just 'cause I don't want you submitting through the review board doesn't mean I don't want reviews.   
  
Next Chapter:** The teams have boarded the ferry and are on their way to the Midnight Island where the tournament will get underway. In the meantime, Yusuke and co. will discover that there is more to the young elf than there appears, in addition to meeting some of their new foes and having an unannounced preliminary sprung upon them. Who else is competing and what will they have to say about Team Urameshi's past antics? Find out... 


	2. Half Demons, Spirit Beasts, and Things t...

**Anything important I have to say is at the end of the chapter... except that I wanna say not all chapters will be as serious as the beginning of this one is. I was bored, and I had nothing better to waste space with till the preliminaries started, so I stuck in some random character development. So sue me. Oh and also, from now on every chapter has a spoiler warning, mainly 'cause I've already seen the whole series, but I can't remember what came before what else, so I may be including info that comes after wherever the dubbed version currently is.  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Except the Tournie and the story itself. Ryouta was created and is currently residing somewhere in my twisted little mind, so yes, you could say I owned him, too. Rae, the cat hanyou, and pretty much anyone else mentioned (yes, they have names, they just aren't identified in this chapter) are the property of their respective owners.**  
  
-----  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
Half Demons, Spirit Beasts, and Things that go BOOM  
  
-----  
  
"Man this sucks," Yusuke snarled, pacing back and forth across the deck while his friends stood by. Kurama was leaning calmly against the railing, surveying the other teams with polite interest and pointedly ignoring the stares Hiei was attracting the two of them from his precarious perch on the metal bar that formed the top of the fence. Kuwabara had been one of more than a few others getting over their seasickness, and now he came over to join the others.  
  
"I didn't think there could be anything more dull than the boatride to the Dark Tournament," Hiei remarked, crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. "I was wrong."  
  
"There shall be plenty of action, once the island is reached," a familiar voice informed them. The elfin boy who had first brought word of the tournament stood before them, hands clasped in front of him as he moved towards them. "Perhaps too much action for some. Here, the tension is high, but they will learn to control themselves soon enough. Fighting, you see, is not allowed on the boat."  
  
"What do you want?" Yusuke demanded sourly.  
  
Instead of answering, the boy gazed out at the sea, golden hair gently brushing his shoulders, as he murmured, "The autumn will be a short one this year. The snows shall find us early, I would think." Turning his eyes back to Yusuke, he gave a gentle smile. "I am a helper of the tournament; to see to you is but one of my many assignments. By name, I am Ryouta; any questions you have should be addressed to me. For now, I must attend to other matters. If you will excuse me..." Ryouta gave a respectful bow, but before he could leave, a restraining hand seized his shoulder.  
  
"May I help you?" the boy inquired, stiffening at the foreign touch. The youkai who stood behind him was a purple lizard-like demon, standing on its hind legs with slit-like nostrils flaring as its yellow eyes slid in and out of focus.  
  
"Yeah... I was wonderin' if you gots any entertainment on the ship. Seein' as we's not allowed to be fightin'," Yusuke's own nose twitched at the heavy stench of alcohol coming from the demon. "Like say... any ningen womans or..." The lizard stopped abruptly, tongue flicking out subconciously as it's eyes roved Ryouta's form.  
  
An expression that was half-terrified nausea and half-bitter disgust crossed the elf's face, and he pulled firmly out of the drunkard's grip. "There is no... entertainment as you say. Please leave."  
  
For a moment, the lizard looked bewildered, then its scaly lips curved into a smile as it reached one clawed hand towards the boy. "And would be allowed t' make our own fun?" What happened next was so fast that it took the drugged creature a moment to realize what had happened. When it did, it gave a hiss of pain and started forward, enraged, only to find itself faced with an orb of glowing silver energy and a pair of flashing, pale green eyes.  
  
"Give me a reason," a cold venom had entered the child's voice. To emphasize his point, Ryouta sent another pulse of energy through his palm, causing his enemy to fall over in his haste to retreat. "I may not be allowed to kill you now, but if you should lose in the Tournament..." He yanked on the chain wrapped around his other hand, drawing the attached scythe out of the older demon's palm. "I shall hunt you down and destroy you myself." With a flick of his wrist to remove the blood from his weapon, Ryouta lowered his hands to his sides, allowing his ki to be pulled back into himself. "Don't you ever touch me. No one... shall ever hurt me. Never again." Shaking his head, the boy's eyes returned to their normal emerald color as he smiled sweetly at the staring Team Urameshi. "Rest now, I would advise you. The preliminaries will begin sooner than you think, and it truly would be a shame for you to be harmed before the Tournament commences."  
  
"That," Kurama mused, gazing thoughtfully at Ryuota as he retreated below deck, "was odd."  
  
"How so?" inquired a female voice from behind the boys. Turning, they spotted a girl about thirteen years old lounging against the railing, her bright red eyes fixed on them. A long orange ponytail tipped with black flared out behind her, given a life of its own by the sea breeze.  
  
She blinked at them, standing and straightening the yellow sash of her marroon kimono, "Well?"  
  
"Wow... who's she?" Kuwabara questioned. The girl blinked again, then grinned.  
  
"My name's Rae; I'm a Fire Demon, the Captain of Team Kasai. I expect you must be the famous Team Urameshi everyone's talking about lately," she offered her hand to Yusuke and repeated her question, seeing Kurama was not answering. "But really, why did you think what happened just now was so weird? Even among the strongest youkai you get some perverts." Kurama frowned, and she added as an afterthought, "If you're wondering if you can trust me, don't bother. It's not as if I'm scoping out the enemy; everyone knows what powers each of you have."  
  
Kurama looked at her questioningly, then admitted, "It's his ki."  
  
"Who... Ryouta's? What about it?" Rae asked unconcernedly.  
  
Kurama paused again. "I couldn't sense it coming or even trace it."  
  
"Of course not," Rae responded with a grin. "Because he doesn't have any spirit or demon energy, or at least, none of it that's pure."  
  
"What the hell do you mean?" Yusuke cut in before Kurama could inquire further. "He's a demon, right? Of course he's got youki."  
  
"Half right," Rae corrected. "His youki and reiki are all mixed up and merged. Or haven't you noticed? He's a hanyou."  
  
---  
  
"Is all prepared?"  
  
"Hai, Akumu-sama."  
  
"Good. Everything is going according to the Plan. Start the preliminaries as soon as possible."  
  
"Hai, Akumu-sama."  
  
---  
  
"A hanyou," Kurama mused as Rae walked away to rejoin her team. "How interesting. I never thought I would meet one."  
  
Yusuke sent a quizzical glance in his friend's direction. "They rare or somethin'?"  
  
"Now they are," Kurama affirmed. "However, in the Dark Ages, when demons could cross freely between the realms, hanyou were spreading like the plague. Most could not reproduce, however, and those that could mated with demons till, generations later, all traces of human ancestry had been wiped away. With the barrier so tightly guarded now, it's a wonder one exists."  
  
"More than one," Hiei pointed to a fourteen year old girl with a pair of black cat ears poking from her marroon-streaked black hair. A similarly colored tail was camoflauged nicely by the black sash of the red kimono she wore.  
  
Kurama glanced at the girl, nodding. "It appears we will be meeting some very interesting people during this tournament."  
  
"This... just gets weirder and weirder," Yusuke griped, looking around for something to punch.  
  
"What's wrong, you scared, Urameshi?"  
  
"Shut up, Kuwabara! You're the one shaking!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Am no- hey... d'you sense somethi-" A second later, everyone on the ship felt the "something" Kuwabara was referring to as a rather large portion of the boat exploded. Bits of disjointed conversation were shouted back and forth as everyone tried to determine what was happening, whether someone was doing something to fix the situation, and if it would be okay to blow up the rest of the boat, seeing as it was already halfway there.  
  
"Ryuko-san, you really have some anger management issues. Namely, every time you get mad, something explodes or implodes or spontaneously combusts or..."  
  
"Shut up, rat."  
  
"What the heck is going on here?"  
  
"Or burns up or dies an excuciatingly painful death or..."  
  
"Where's that hanyou? I want an explanation. Now. Or something dies."  
  
"It went boom, you idiot. What more of an explanation does you pea-sized brain need?"  
  
"You're going to die an excruciatingly painful death if you don't leave me alone. I didn't blow up the damn boat."  
  
"Oh. That's okay, I was running out of sufficiently agonizing events to attribute to you anyways."  
  
Moments later, Ryouta appeared on deck, and a high-pitched whistle blast silenced the crowd (amazingly enough). "Now the true test of your abilities will begin," he called, straightening the chain that held the whistle around his neck. "Those who cannot handle themselves in situations of being off guard do not deserve to participate in the true preliminaries. Your challenge is this; by whatever means possible, you are to reach the island. Helping others, you must not, but to hinder is also prohibited. Those who are able, follow me. You have thirty seconds to devise your plan. After that, the bomb that seals your fate will take you." Another whistle brought a winged horse diving from the clouds to land on the deck. "I wish you the best of luck," Ryouta said with a small smile, mounting bareback and taking hold of the reins. There was a stunned silence as the Pegasus took off again, and then someone began to laugh.  
  
"They call this a test?"  
  
"Let's do this."  
  
"I was hoping for some action."  
  
Yusuke watched as several youkai took off into the air before turning desparately to his teammates. "One of you better have a plan 'cause there's no way my spirit gun's gonna help us fly."  
  
"Same for my spirit sword. Do you guys have something to fly with?"  
  
"The explosion might help us out if you don't shut up and think," Hiei snapped back irritably.  
  
Kurama closed his eyes, his hair beginning to flicker to silver. "I have a way, but we'll be cutting it close with my transformation..."  
  
"We're already cutting it close, kitsune," the fire demon retorted. "Just do it."  
  
"5... 4... 3... 2... Shit, too late! Times up!" Yusuke howled as the ground below them suddenly disappeared. All he could feel was himself falling towards not only the water, but the center of the blast.  
  
"Stop whining," A voice told him as a tendril of a vine wrapped itself around his waist. Kurama navigated his way out of the smoke, revealing that he was in his Youko form and had managed to grow his flying plant, its butterfly wing-like leaves spreading above the fox demon. Another vine had managed to catch Kuwabara, and Hiei was holding calmly onto a final growth. Filling the air around them were winged demons supporting their comrades and others floating in midair, apparently using techniques similar to Jin's.  
  
"Problem, kitsune," Hiei stated dryly. "We're losing altitude."  
  
Youko glowered at him. "As I've told you before, it wasn't made for carrying four people. Especially not with some of them being helpless passengers."  
  
"What's wrong?" A female voice shouted to them. A tall woman with crimson eyes stared mockingly at them, slit-like pupils an odd parody of a reptile's eyes. "Can't the powerful spirit detective do anything to save himself?" Catcalls erupted all around as she turned away, smirking.  
  
Ryouta watched all this before calling for attention. "If you would please follow me. Midnight Isle should be reached by sundown if you can keep up." Wheeling his steed, he flew off, the other teams following.  
  
"Why that- I'll show them who can't do anything," grumbled Yusuke, releasing a pulse of reiki so that he glowed softly.  
  
"What're you up to Urameshi?" quizzed Kuwabara as his rival released another flash of aura.  
  
"Watch and learn." At his last words, something blue shot from the sky and skidded to a halt right next to them. "'S about time he came in handy for something," Yusuke grinned, rapping the phoenix-like creature between the ears and earning a squeal of indignance from the giant bird. Climbing on its back, he motioned to the others. "They want speed and strength? They'll eat our dust." Hiei rolled his eyes as he followed Kuwabara onto the spirit beast's back. Kurama smiled lightly as he shifted back to his human form and situated himself in front of a wing joint.  
  
"Awright, Puu, do your stuff," Yusuke commanded the bird, who twittered happily and zoomed off after the others.  
  
-----  
  
**Very weird, I know. I just realized when I was writing this that team Urameshi has no wind powers. So it ended up a little awkward and jerky, but I like Puu, so it works out, if you ask me. Yeah. Go blue puffballs!  
  
Anywho, on to the important stuff. Some of you say you've submitted a charrie, but I haven't received said character! So... I figure either you clicked a wrong button on the form (I have now removed all excess buttons) or something went stupid. What SHOULD happen after you click the button is it links to a page that basically tells you what you just typed in.  
  
Characters I HAVE received at the time I am posting this include: Nytstar Daemon, Kaota Misucari, Tari, Akari, Rae, Jagan, and Sagara Miko Melanie. If you character's name is not here, either I have not gotten them period or you sent them after I posted this. If the former, please try again. Gomen nasai for any inconveniances.  
  
One last note: if the owner of Rae is reading this, I needed a name for your team (seeing as you are captain). I can't contact you, so if it's okay, I named your team for you (see above chapter). Kasai means "flame" if you were wondering. If it's not okay, let me know. Somehow.  
  
Review, send more characters, and I'll post another chapter as soon as I have enough submissions. I need a captain for every team at the very least, but that shouldn't take too long (4 of 8 slots are already filled). The only thing I am debating is whether or not to increase the number of teams to 16, but that wouldn't hold up the next chapter (I have 5 people I can count on to create entire teams, including myself). My only question is: what do you think? The story would be much longer if I did. (More time for me to torture your characters. Heh heh.) I'll have veeeery limited comp access for the next month, but I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP (Chapter 3 is where things get interesting). I'm posting this at 5:30 in the morning before our flight leaves. Be proud of the fact that I'm awake enough to type.  
  
Next Chapter:** Team Urameshi reaches Midnight Isle unscathed, except, of course, for Yusuke's pride. After a Team Captains' meeting and a brief shouting match, the true preliminaries will be revealed in full, and the requirements and rules shock everyone present. What deadly secrets lie behind the innocent disguise of an obstacle course? Who on Team Urameshi will step up to take on the first challenge? Will I ever stop talking in questions? And if so much is on the line in just the preliminary rounds, what can be in store during the tournament itself?


	3. From Weird to Insane

**I'm posting this without really editing it. Which explains the utterly freaky conversation at the end of the chapter. Submit more characters and make me happy. Also, the team info pages (YES, there are 16 teams now) have been updated, so go check them out. YAY!  
  
Disclaimer: In an alternate dimension, I might own Yu Yu Hakusho, but in this one, I don't. If you live in said dimension where I do, please be sure to inform me. Also, I don't own Kakurell or Azumashi (they both belong to Kakurell), Niyali or Arashi (from the EvilTowel duo's Niyali and Arashi), Bobbie, or Kaylee. Kozuye and Ryouta are mine. I wish I owned some Cloudweed sap.  
**  
-----  
  
Chapter Three:  
  
_From Weird to Insane  
_  
-----  
  
The sky was painted in brilliant shades of amber and rose, deep violet splashes of clouds scattered across the darkening canvas. Nestled amongst these was the sun, glowing a soft crimson that reflected off the other colors in an almost perfect mix of pastel light. The sea below lapped the beach gently, the soft hiss of the tide meshing with the slowly mounting chorus of crickets and the whistling rustle of the frigid ocean breeze caressing the trees. If one ignored the fact that the sun in the makai was always blood red, and that a deadly tournament would soon begin, it was almost peaceful. Then there was the slightly ominous observation that the sun currently seemed to be... well, pulsating was the only way to put it. Beating... like a heart unknowingly pumping away its lifeblood through a fatal wound...  
  
A loud splash brought Ryuukori Kaylee abruptly out of her morbid thoughts. Sighing, she turned her light green eyes towards the beach, glaring at the intrusion on her daydreams: the ningen captain of the guest team. It figured.  
  
"Damnit, Puu!" Yusuke spluttered, attempting to remove the seaweed from his hair and make obscene gestures at his offending spirit beast at the same time. "What was that for?" Hiei and Kurama leapt lightly to the sandy ground, Kuwabara falling after them shortly.  
  
The blue phoenix fixed a doleful eye on his other half, carefully ensuring he was out of reach before giving an answering hoot. "Puuuuuu!" Turning tail, he stopped only long enough to stick out his tongue at Yusuke before zooming back off over the ocean.  
  
"Why that..." Yusuke cupped his hands around his mouth for better volume. "Y'know what we're having for dinner when I get back? Fried fuzzball! You hear me, you stupid chicken?"  
  
"You're making a scene, Spirit Detective," Hiei cut in before Yusuke could really get going. "You don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."  
  
Kurama glanced disdainfully at the demons around them before replying, "I believe it is too late for that." Sure enough, nearly every competitor was staring at them, some in disbelief, most in disgust.  
  
"_This_ is the great Spirit Detective?" the same woman who had earlier insulted Yusuke snorted in disbelief. "This will be even easier than I thought." Yusuke bit back a snarl, staring at the black-cloaked enemy. Gold embroidery, possibly glyphs, possibly just an elaborate pattern, glistened along the hems, the black cloth hiding all but the woman's eyes from view. An equally tall man stood behind her, casting an amused look at Yusuke before turning and following the lady back into the crowd of watching demons.  
  
"Captains, if you please," Ryouta's by now familiar voice called over the crowd. "A meeting is required before the preliminaries begin." A number of demons broke apart from the group, still murmuring and looking scornfully over their shoulders as they filed into a small cabin.  
  
Kuwabara approached his rival, tapping him on the shoulder. "How come you didn't attack? I know you wanted to, I can feel your rage, y'know."  
  
Yusuke shook his head. "I wanted to, yeah. But... there's somethin' weird about her reiki. And it's not like a hanyou either. It's like... like she doesn't have any." With a shrug, he headed off after the other captains, a path clearing for him despite the whispers passing through the crowd. And Kuwabara was left there to think, never a good thing when it came to this particular ningen...  
  
---  
  
"Your attention?" Ryouta stood on a small podium, looking quite perturbed and more than a bit harassed. The tall woman had insisted her co-captain come in with her, and it had caused quite a bit of a row. Then there was the fact that not all of these demons had the best o manners... besides there being no room to move, and being almost unbearably hot from the huge fireplace and body heat, the stench of alcohol, unwashed bodies, and who- knew-what-else was beginning to waft through the heavy air. "If you would all settle, the rules could be explained."  
  
Kaylee had seated herself near a window in hopes of being able to breathe, but it was in vain: _apparently_ this was so confidential that not even fresh air was allowed into the meeting. She for one just wanted them to get on with it already and had already zoned out, eyes fixed on something unseen out the window. She was not the only one who had no intentions of paying attention: more than one captain had already dozed off.  
  
"The rules are..." Ryouta paused as he was cut off by a particularly loud snore, "that no ki of any kind may be used during the preliminaries. Purely testing your ability to invent, this is. Seven parts there are to the obstacle course: each of an element, each of a different team member." The boy held up what looked like a dog collar made of some lightweight black metal. "These are to be worn during the entire course; if any type of energy is used that is not physical, these will react in such a way that you will... most certainly be disqualified. The losers of the preliminaries will not live to see the tournament itself..."  
  
---  
  
Kuwabara sat on a boulder, perched in the same pose as the statue "The Thinker". So far, it hadn't helped him think of anything... except about how uncomfortable this posture was. Hiei had long since gone off in the opposite direction; he was standing beneath a cliff, staring out at the sea without blinking. Kuwabara had tried that posture for thinking, too, but all he'd ended up with were dried-out eyeballs. Kurama was doing his best not to comment on either of his teammates' antics, leaning against the base of the rock Kuwabara had climbed upon and closing his eyes.  
  
"People around here are so boring," A young girl remarked. "Lookit them, they're all asleep!"  
  
"C'mon Niyali, it's not so bad. The ningen on the rock is the co-captain of Team Urameshi!" Another girl replied consolingly.  
  
"Really? That stupid-looking one?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Huh. I didn't recognize him. I've never seen him trying to think."  
  
"Maybe it's his first time. Must be painful for him." A couple of giggles were followed by a scuttling sound. Kurama cracked one of his eyes open to see a small eleven-year-old girl scaling the side of the rock. She was wearing jeans and sneakers, and a blue sweatshirt that was way too big for her was getting in her way as she attempted to reach his immobile teammate. Kurama yawned; Kuwabara must've fallen asleep trying to think too hard.  
  
"What're you doing, Niyali?" the girl on the ground questioned her friend. Niyali turned around to shush her, blue eyes dancing, and Kurama did a double take. The girl had dark blond hair streaked with blue that reached just below her shoulder blades, and it was held back in a ponytail. But the thing (or rather, things) holding the hair back were... plants. But not just any plants; these appeared to be actually rooted in the girl's scalp.  
  
"Watch this," Too late, the girl's voice brought the kitsune to his senses. Kuwabara spluttered in confusion, falling off the rock and onto the sandy ground, covered in a sticky white substance suspiciously like whipped cream. Niyali sat atop the boulder, looking proudly down on her handiwork, which happened to be rolling about so desperately that bits of sand and driftwood had begun transforming him into an unrecognizable mass of congealing muck.  
  
"Kuwabara calm down!" shouted Kurama, cautiously approaching his ally. Further investigation of the whiteness showed it to be Cloudweed sap, a rather versatile substance that was used both as a rather expensive gourmet dessert in the makai... and as a quick-setting building material. Luckily, the girl had diluted it enough to keep it from doing the latter, but it was still setting into an odd gelatin-like state. Kurama sighed. If this kept up, he didn't think any of them would have a shred of dignity left by the end of this...  
  
---  
  
"What?! No ki use?"  
  
"Who do you think you're kidding?"  
  
"Noisy, aren't they?" Yusuke looked behind him upon hearing a voice, but saw nothing. Then he looked down.  
  
"Hullo," the eleven-year-old girl said with a grin, linking her hands behind her head and rocking back on her heels, trying to look Yusuke in the eyes, but unable to because there wasn't enough room. "You must be Urameshi Yusuke. Nice to meetcha. My name's Toshiko Kozuye, I'm captain of Team Tatsuya." Yusuke just stared for a moment.  
  
"You can't be a team leader!" he finally burst out. "You're a shrimp, a brat, a... you barely come up to my waist!"  
  
"And...?" the girl countered. "I happen to know I'm just as tall as Rinku, and he kicked Kuwabara's butt at the Dark Tournament."  
  
Yusuke eyed her with distrust. "You know the kid?"  
  
Kozuye scoffed. "Know him? He's here, you baka. Team Mikomi with Amanuma and Shura, too."  
  
"What is this, a babysitting service?!" demanded Yusuke.  
  
"Could be, but I don't think Nursery School's on the itinerary," Kozuye responded brightly. "So how're you gonna split up the course? You only have four people, right?"  
  
"Yeah... so what?" Yusuke quizzed, still not believing this squirt was a team leader.  
  
"Just because you are the guest team doesn't mean you get to skip the preliminaries. You just won't get penalized if you screw up," supplied the tall woman.  
  
Yusuke whirled on her, furious. "You know, you're seriously starting to piss me off. Who are you anyways?"  
  
The woman continued to stare at him with dispassionate reptile eyes before responding, "I am Drakken Kakurell, the captain of Team Raquar. And this," she motioned to the tall man behind her, "is Memaitos Azumashi."  
  
"Riiiight," Yusuke made a face at the weird names. "So what's up with the cloak? You got some skin problem or something?"  
  
Kakurell didn't even blink as Azumashi began to smirk and another girl came up behind them, a tiger demon. "Oh come on, Spirit Detective. Surely your toddler boss has told you about the great Kakurell." The tiger rolled her eyes when she saw Yusuke's disgruntled expression. "She's an assassin, moron," she continued, tossing her shoulder-length, curly black hair over her shoulder. "One of the most wanted in the entire makai. The bounty on her is enough to have sent more than a few youkai to their deaths," she concluded, absentmindedly twirling one of the green strands of hair that framed her face around her finger. "By the way, I'm Taemons Bobbie, captain of the team that'll beat you. If you want to last long around here, I'd do my research." With that, she melted back into the crowd, Azumashi and Kakurell turning and heading in the opposite direction. Kozuye shrugged and distractedly relieved a nearby demon of his valuables, placing them in another youkai's pocket before strolling off as well, humming something that sounded suspiciously like "The Song That Gets On Everybody's Nerves".  
  
---  
  
"I have just about had it," Kuwabara grumbled, spitting another mouthful of frothy white substance onto the ground. "First was that shrimp Rinku, then that Game Master kid took me hostage. NOW there's a little girl out to humiliate me."  
  
"Not just one."  
  
"Three or so, actually. If not more."  
  
"But I'll show the world just what a strong man can do!"  
  
"Hey, Arashi... you see a strong man anywhere around here?"  
  
"Not one who's talking in any case..."  
  
"I'll do the first part of the preliminary! I'll show them!"  
  
"Kuwabara... you've swallowed a lot of that stuff... you are not in your right mind."  
  
"Correction. You have to have a mind to be in the right of it."  
  
"What the hell happened here???"  
  
"Yusuke, thank goodness you're back. You see..."  
  
"I'm going to do the first round of the preliminaries."  
  
"And get himself killed."  
  
"There was... a bit of an incident..."  
  
"You could say that. Or you could say Kuwabara got made a fool of."  
  
"The second one. Definitely the second one."  
  
"And now he thinks..."  
  
"I'm doing it, Urameshi. I'm gonna do the first round. Kuwabara the man will be ridiculed no more!"  
  
"Whoa, pretty big words from you."  
  
"D'you even know what that means?"  
  
"What's with the peanut gallery?"  
  
"It's a long story, really..."  
  
"ONWARD! TO VICTORY! CHARGE!"  
  
"OI! KUWABARA! Come back here, you..."

* * *

**Characters received since last update: Ryuukori Kaylee, Taemons Bobbie, and Glidestringer Philas. If you are a team captain, please find some way to contact me and inform me what you want your team to be called. If you don't send me one, I'll come up with a name for you. And now for review responses:  
  
TonyDiMerasbedroomslave-** I need to stress this again, even if this was only a one time occurrence. DO NOT SUBMIT A CHARACTER THROUGH A REVIEW!!! The whole reason I went to the trouble of setting up a submission form was so that: a) those not allowed to e-mail people they don't know could still enter without b) my account being frozen. Not only did you submit through a review, you did not even give all the details I requested. I did save what you sent me if you would like a copy, but your review has been removed. If you still would like to enter please submit via the instructions posted both on my bio, and in chapter one of this story. 

**videogamegod01- **YAY PUFFBALLS!!! And thanks for the compliment.

**tensi-notia- **I dunno if I got your charries... check the section for "characters recieved"

**blackcats of the moon- **have you seen my website? It took me a YEAR before I felt organized enough to post this. Literally. I've been working on this since last summer.

**I need to stress this again, even if this was only a one time occurrence. DO NOT SUBMIT A CHARACTER THROUGH A REVIEW!!! The whole reason I went to the trouble of setting up a submission form was so that: a) those not allowed to e-mail people they don't know could still enter without b) my account being frozen. SUBMISSION INFO IS POSTED ON MY BIO AND IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS FIC.**  
  
**Next Chapter (in the meantime, read my latest story "Memories of a Lost Past"):** Finally, the prelims will begin (I think they were s'possed to begin this time... eh-heh). Kuwabara takes the first challenge, the trial of water. The next tests go to Yusuke and Kurama, completing the trials of light and darkness in turn. As the course continues, old rivals will be rediscovered, and new ones will begin to reveal themselves. Prepare for heated races, terrifying realizations, and little kid madness next in "Shades of Yin and Yang".


	4. Shades of Yin and Yang Part I

**All right, the Trial by Light is just plain pathetic, seeing as the description is quite screwed up and Yusuke switches between himself and being completely OOC. Ah well... That, kids, is what the combination of jet lag (I spent 2 weeks in Japan 'cause I'm just that awesome) and driver's ed can do to you.**

**OTHER NOTES: Reading 20 volumes of Naruto in one weekend is not healthy.**

**Disclaimer: If you haven't figured this out by now... you're just sad.**

* * *

Chapter Four: 

_Shades of Yin and Yang (Part One)_

* * *

"I can't believe Urameshi talked me into this. Just like those jerks, always depending on me to pull the team through. I told him to get the shrimp to do it, he never does anything good for the team, but no..." Actually, Kuwabara had said nothing of the sort, as everyone around him knew quite well. They had been none too pleased when the humans came stomping by, yelling at the top of their lungs till they reached the starting line, and the stupid one had finally learned what he was up against. Not that the other demons planned on arguing. You don't contradict a human who talks to himself and insists on being addressed as "The Great (And Incredibly Manly) Kuwabara Kazuma". 

"Part one of the Tournament of Dreams preliminary round: Frost Lake, the Trial by Water! Begin on the whistle... are you ready?" Kuwabara looked down the row of competitors. No, he was definitely not ready. Nearly all the others completing this event were female, most of whom were fully equipped with fins and gills. No, he was not ready at all.

"The rules are simple," Ryouta continued, pointing to the lake's far bank. "Cross the lake you must without, of course, the aid of energy. The ice is new, as it is not yet winter, but swimming you will find is an even worse option than the ice. When you reach the end of the trial, points will be awarded by completion time. After points are awarded, the next trial begins. Simple? Yes. Easy? We shall see." The boy shrugged and lowered his microphone, replacing it with his whistle. "Three... two... one... GO!"

"Huh?" Kuwabara had not really been paying attention, focusing instead on trying to determine how in _hell_ he was supposed to cross the thin ice. He had only been ice skating once, and that time Yukina had had to catch him every few minutes.

"An early lead by Ryuukori Kaylee as she makes use of her ice powers." Sure enough, the girl was almost dancing across the ice, sensing where the ice was strongest by feel only. "But a slow start by Team Raquar's GataMacco is being quickly made up." Another girl with a long tail much like the Dark Tournament announcer Juri's was racing across the ice, apparently preferring to be on and off of it before it could break beneath her. She was, however, leaving a weakened path behind her which someone was bound to step on sometime, Kuwabara noted. "Dead last is held by the guest team, surprisingly." These words brought Kuwabara back to the present, and he took a tentative step onto the ice, a sharp contrast to the fleet-footed performances several of the girls were putting on.

"Slow and steady wins the race, I guess," Yusuke muttered with a resigned sigh as he watched Kuwabara take another painfully awkward step.

Hiei snorted in reply. "He's too slow to win anything but an award for stupidity."

"Can't deny that," Yusuke admitted, grinning.

"SHUT UP, URAMESHI! I'M DOING JUST... uh... aagh!" Kuwabara slid suddenly, falling face first onto the ice.

"How he can tell I'm insulting him is beyond me," Yusuke shook his head in disbelief.

"How he's stayed alive this long is what's beyond me."

Out on the ice, Kuwabara growled, about to stand up and yell something back when he noticed something. His growl was reverberating through the ice, which he currently had his ear pressed to. In fact, there was a tiny cracking sound that accompanied the growl, the sound of ice cracking. "Wait a minnit," Kuwabara began scuttling across the ice crab style, careful to keep an ear out for those tiny cracking noises.

His good idea was interrupted by a loud snap, a splash, and a female scream of terror. "Miyuki of Team Mikomi has fallen through the ice."

"OH SHUT UP!" the girl in question was apparently more perturbed than anything else as she climbed back onto the ice and examined herself. "I _DON'T _need you pointing out the obvious for everyone. I can..." The girl gasped, anger apparently forgotten.

"Not to fall in the water, I warned you," Ryouta's response was sheepish and immediately ensured everyone was staring at the girl in question.

"There is no way," Kurama remarked quietly, "that this is a lake of water." Miyuki's gi had all but been burned away, the same thing happening to bits of her pants and socks. She was still wearing a shirt under the no-longer-existing gi, but she looked mortified all the same. The skin on her hands was partially eaten away as well. Even the other competitors had stopped to stare in silent shock at her (except Kuwabara, who was still crawling his way across).

"You are playing for much higher stakes than you imagine," Ryouta's voice was hushed, as if he were repeating a lesson he had been taught, and only now was understanding its full meaning. It was enough to make more than one shudder as the words hit them. "You no longer control your own fate."

"Hey, girlies!" The same purple lizard from before called out, unable to take the silence any more. "How's about takin' another dip, eh?" His laughter boomed around the area, and there could not have been a more inappropriate time for it. It did, however, break the spell over the area, and the fighters once again made their way towards the finish line.

There were three more incidents of ice breaking, one more was narrowly avoided when the girl had quick enough reflexes to leap out of the way. Of these, one of the girls had attempted to use her powers to escape and had not resurfaced. This incident only prompted the competitors to be even more cautious; the problem posed was that falling behind meant the ice was weakened even more than usual, but rushing ahead held a greater chance of a misstep.

"The results are these: a first place tie for GataMacco of Team Raquar and Kaylee of Team LiveWire. In second, a surprise comeback by Team Tatsuya's Kiyoshi. Third goes to Team Kasai and Lumina!" Ryouta made a couple notes on his clipboard before glancing up with a smile. "Two more rounds are to be done today... if you will follow me?"

"Wait a minute," Ryouta whirled around to see a tall human looking calmly down at him. "What happened to Chitose?"

The hanyou kept his face dispassionate as he replied, "She is safe, Ryusaki-san. That is all I can say. Passing the preliminaries is required if you wish her back." A glint of something threatening flashed in the elder's eyes, but his expression was still calm as he glared down at the boy.

"Oniisan..." Two pairs of tiny hands yanked on the back of the man's black trench coat as matching green eyes peered out at the announcer. "Where's Chit?" Ryouta's eyes softened as he examined the twin eight year olds fixing puppy dog looks on him.

Sighning, the hanyou looked back up to Ryusaki and explained himself. "In the collars, there is a ki detector: it senses if someone cheats and uses their ki. Once this is triggered, a needle is released from one side of the collar; into the victim a strong sedative is injected. Teleported to the end of the course, the sleeping ones are. She is perfectly safe." A murmur passed throught the crowd as many nervously touched the black, metal collars. "Now if we might go?" He turned, not bothering to check if the others would follow.

"Hey Kurama," Yusuke said softly as the group of demons began shuffling after the young hanyou, much subdued. "Kiyoshi... doesn't that name sound kinda familiar to you?"

The ex-youko glanced sideways at the spirit detective. "Yes, that was Mitarai's given name."

"Oh yeah, that Sea Man guy," Yusuke pondered for a minute. "Wasn't this tournament for really strong competitors or something? 'Cause I thought Kuwabara beat the crap outta him."

Hiei leapt down from a tree branch, landing directly in front of Yusuke and sending a disdainful glance at him. "Don't kid yourself, Detective. Kuwabara made use of his ridiculously good luck to catch Mitarai off guard. However, the mere fact that a child with a few weeks of training could capture someone with months more practice shows great potential." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "Of course, when it's Kuwabara we're talking about, it may not be quite so amazing." Kuwabara didn't reply to the jab, though whether that was due to his sulking about coming in last or his numb ears (having been pressed to the ice the entire race) remained to be seen.

"And there is the fact that the more you injure him, the greater his powers become," Kurama added thoughtfully.

Yusuke growled, jamming his hands in his pockets and kicking irritably at a rock on the ground. "Awright, I get it! I was just gonna say there're a hell of a lot of people we've beat up before here."

"What do you mean, Detective?" Hiei demanded, stiffening suddenly.

"I _mean_, Mitarai's not the only one here. There's Rinku, and the stupid Game Master squirt, and..."

"Yusuke," Kurama interjected sharply, "Amanuma _died_ when I defeated him."

"Yeah, yeah and Pacifier Breath revived him. It's old news," Yusuke waved a hand dismissively.

"No, what I meant was..." Kurama furrowed his brow in thought, picking his next words carefully. "When Koenma brought Amanuma back to life, he came back _without his powers_."

"Oh," Yusuke shrugged. "Well, that's one less person to worry about. But Yomi's kid's here, too. And..."

"And me," A voice cut in calmly. The reikai tantei paused as the owner of the voice moved out from behind them. "Or don't I count?" A pair of amethyst eyes stared readily back at Yusuke.

"Hn. Didn't I kill you already?"

"Apparently not."

"Kisama," Yusuke glared at Hagiri Kaname, looking just about ready to strangle him, spirit energy or no. "You tried to kill me!" Sniper raised an eyebrow, nodded his agreement. "SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!"

"It's a tournament for the strongest. I got an invitation, and as you know for yourselves... it was an offer I couldn't refuse."

Yusuke clenched his fist, pulling it back to punch the older boy. "Dammit, what is with all the dead people around here who're suddenly superpowered?"

"Shouldn't you include yourself in that group?"

"THAT'S IT!" Yusuke stopped as he felt something suspiciously like the hilt of a katana pressed firmly against the small of his back.

"As you should know, Urameshi Yusuke, a team is required to have all seven of its members present to participate in the first round. As such, I recommend you reconsider touching my teammate," There was a click as the speaker thumbed his katana out past the friction point. "It really would be a pity if they had to change your team's name to 'Team Kuwabara'."

"And who exactly," Hiei growled, hand straying to the hilt of his own sword, "do you think you are?" Sniper casually stepped away from Yusuke's frozen fist, eyes revealing his boredom with the entire encounter. As soon as Sniper was out of the line of danger, his protector had whirled around to face Hiei, katana leveled to point between the hi youkai's eyes. Hiei didn't flinch, refusing to back down before his new adversary.

"Feh," After a long silence, Sniper's captain backed down, sheathing his weapon and turning away, shoulder-length brown ponytail resettling on his back. "Kaimu Hiroshi, captain of Team Takagi and true master of the Kaimu Kasshin style. Don't forget the name."

Kurama studied the boy's back thoughtfully. "You would not, by any chance, be the brother of the Hitokiri Skyhawk, would you?" Hiroshi's shoulders tensed, he spun around again, russet eyes flashing with rage.

"The Skyhawk is _not_ my brother," Hiroshi's voice trembled, betraying his lies. Attempting to collect himself, he smoothed his blood-red gi, stalking away and calling over his shoulder, black hakama swishing about his ankles. "The Skyhawk is of no use to me except dead." Sniper graced the reikai tantei with a parting smirk then followed after his leader, Kurama watching pensively as the pair left.

"What was that all about, Urameshi?"

"I see _you're_ just as stupid as ever," a brown haired fourteen-year-old remarked casually as he strolled past. "Try to keep up with the rest of us, okay?" He sent a violet-eyed glare back at the four, who hadn't moved. "And I _don't_ just mean that metaphorically, you know."

"Don't waste your cutting wit on _him_," a familiar youkai skipped by, his bag of yo-yos bouncing at his waist. "_He_ wouldn't even understand he was being insulted." Rinku grinned widely at Yusuke as he passed before hurrying to catch up with his longer-legged teammate. Taking the elder's advice, the boys began to move again, Kuwabara sulking while grumbling something about "shorties", "stupid munchkins", and a few other things that will, for our purposes, not be repeated.

A sharp blast of a whistle caused the fighters, now milling about the base of a rather tall mountain, to turn their suspicious eyes upon Ryouta, standing in the mouth of a cave that appeared to have tunneled straight through the mountain itself.

"This is the site for the second trial: that of the element of Light," Ryouta called out softly, so that the listeners had to strain to hear his voice. In the twilight, the boy was only a flickering silhouette against the light shining from inside the caverns. "Pariticipants must travel through these tunnels to reach the mountain's other side. Large caverns shall be lit for your aid; tunnels in between, however, have by darkness been taken. Again, a very simple task." The boy indicated the stars, slowly springing into life above. "When fully set the sun is at rest, participants will first embark on their mission. Others to me shall come, the survivors we will meet on the other side of the mountain. Please select your fighters, if you would. But warned you should be, those who lose their will to live won't make it to see daylight once more." The boy retreated into the shadows, leaving the teams to mutter among themselves.

"So Kuwabara," Yusuke nudged his rival, grinning broadly, "you up for another round?"

Kuwabara shook his head solemnly, "No way, Urameshi. There's something weird in there, not nohow anything I've felt before. It's not living, that's sure, but it's no dead thing either. I don't trust it." Just then, he noticed Yusuke squinting up at him with a look of intense concentration. "Whadda you want, Urameshi?"

"Gee, Kuwabara," The Spirit Detective, yawned and stretched. "I never knew you were a coward." Ignoring Kuwabara's indignant splutters, Yusuke stepped forward to the mouth of the cave, sending a cocky glance at Ryouta. "I'm ready for action, in any case. Let's get this thing going."

The hanyou smiled indulgently and raised his hand. "If you are ready... the trial begins now!" Yusuke took off running, quickly outdistancing all but a few of his opponents as he dashed through the brightly lit chamber. Plunging into the first dark connecting tunnel didn't slow him, but he was vaguely surprised when he saw that those ahead of him were standing in the middle of the next light cavern, flailing about themselves with eyes wide with fear.

"What the hell...?" As Yusuke slowed, stepping warily into the new room, he felt something sharp graze his cheek; an instant later he tasted blood. Crouching down, the Spirit Detective backed up against a wall and began edging around the room, keeping an eye out for the one who had struck him.

"SHIT!" Despite his precautions, something struck him twice in quick succession. When he looked up, however, the others were still dealing with invisible enemies of their own. A movement in the corner of his eye was all the warning Yusuke had before a dark shape lunged at him. "What is this?"

"Shadow Magic," a voice informed him shortly. A female demon positioned herself so that he was standing in her shadow; she was apparently unharmed thus far. "Some kind of charm has been placed that controls your shadow and turns it against you."

Yusuke panted for breath, glaring up at her. "So why aren't you hurt?"

She smiled to herself, seemingly at his naivety. "I'm a Shadow Youkai. My shadow is a part of me, thus to control it they would first have to control me." She eyed him critically. "There are still two more chambers after this one, each with different lighting to create different shadows. Are you going to be okay?"

"What does it matter to you?" Yusuke demanded, straightening up and thumbing a thin stream of blood off his cheek.

"Tell Youko I'll be waiting for him," she said instead of answering. With that, the woman darted off, fox tail swishing behind her as if to disperse the shadows that strained towards her till they fell back and turned their attention, furious at being thwarted, upon their next victims.

"Hunh, well what am I supposed to think of that?" With a shrug, Yusuke began to race after her, ignoring the sharp pain as shadows struck him again and again: light, glancing blows as they were unable to gain a good hold on him with him running headlong at such speeds. Eventually, even these faded away, and Yusuke too slowed in his flight, realizing he had once again come to a dark tunnel where no shadows were cast.

Suddenly, Yusuke was shaken by a rasping laugh echoing through the enclosed space; the sound made the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the eerie hysteria. "Tis the end o' all of us, it is." Again that strange dry laugh, cut off quickly by a gurgling, coughing sound. "Yes, yes... but's s'all right. I can see the light from here. Though there mayn't be much light where I'll go..." As Yusuke's eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw the face of a bald, almost humanoid demon leering at him, the over-large, pupilless yellow eyes glowing like obscene night lights before him.

The creature grinned at him from its blunted snout, then stumbled towards the end of the tunnel, the steady dripping of blood and scraping of skin against rock marking his progress. Yusuke followed him to the opening of the tunnel where the next room awaited, light shining directly into the competitors' eyes such that they would have to scramble blindly upon reaching the opposite wall in order to find the exit. The demon stumbled on unfazed, however, wavering drunkenly upon reaching the middle of the chamber.

Even the stolid Spirit Detective shivered upon hearing the demon's pleas and witnessing the shadow leap to life. He saw the silhouette trembled at the impact of the shadow's strike; saw the arms and head separate from the body; saw liquid darkness spurt against the light, marring its untainted goodness; saw the body stumble; saw it fall to the ground; saw it sink into the shadows and disappear entirely till there was nothing left to prove it had ever existed.

"Poor bastard," Someone remarked, leaning heavily upon Yusuke's shoulder. "But that's the way it goes, eh?" The speaker gave a low chortle. "Hope you've got more endurance in ya' than that faker. If not, this'll be one pretty boring show." With that, he took off before Yusuke could catch sight of more than his silhouette against the light.

The next tunnel showed Yusuke stumbling through, blinking owlishly, his entire body a mess of shallow cuts and tiny trickles of dried blood. A deep gash in his upper right arm showed his bad reaction when he had reached the opposite wall of the cavern and failed to find the opening; however, he had managed to create a makeshift bandage from his sash, seeing as his clothes were mainly rags by this time anyways.

There were several more competitors wounded in this tunnel, lining the walls on either side of the path. Some tended to their wounds as Yusuke had; others had curled into the fetal position and stared into the distance with half-mad expressions adorning their visages. Yusuke stumbled through their midst, unseeing only partly because he was half-blinded still by light.

And then, a girl appeared before him, the outline blurring and shifting such that she looked one instant to be an angel and the next... a devil. In a calm, measured voice she spoke, the faintest hint of sorrow tinging her words:

"Light is more than it appears,  
If you look within their souls.  
Light can blind you, it deceives,  
Hiding its more vicious goals."

The recital concluded, she bowed her head as though in acknowledgement, hand clutching the necklace of black beads about her neck. Yusuke stood aside, watching her curiously till in a flutter of oddly leathery wings, she disappeared to reveal the opening to the final chamber.

"Those who lose their will to live won't make it to see daylight once more," The words seemed to float out of the light to taunt Yusuke. He growled, eyes flashing with new light, a light of his own. The floor was littered with outcroppings of rock; the light in this final room seemed to be born from the floor itself, meaning that any attacks would come from above and put the defenders at a severe disadvantage... unless...

"Alright, I got nothing t'lose. Might as well give it a shot..." Cracking his knuckles, Yusuke allowed himself a quick glance over his shoulder where his shadow waited complacently, merely a darker patch within the blackness. With that, he took off, sensing the shadows springing to life around him, stirring restlessly as though conferring. Almost halfway... Yusuke glanced back once more to see his shadow leering from the ceiling, mouth stretched into an open-mouthed grin of glee as it contorted itself to strike…

At the last instant, Yusuke whirled, punching upwards to take advantage of the shadow's own momentum. It staggered back slightly; the attack had done much less damage than it would do to a normal opponent, but it had nonetheless had enough power to faze the unwitting beast. Hisses and jeers seemed to come from the shadows of other competitors, but it truly mattered little to Yusuke. He was off again, feet pounding the ground in a flurry of desperate motion. Only 5 more meters now... 4... 3... 2...

The voices of the shadows rose to a howling climax as he dove towards safety...

A blur leapt from the corner of Yusuke's vision, seeming almost to radiate fury as a crimson haze; in fact, everything was turning crimson...

A gasp rattled Yusuke's body as he emptied the contents of his bowels on the stone below, though it took him a moment longer to actually register the wrenching pain where his shadow had struck him a final definitive blow. But he was safe. Comforting darkness engulfed him, and Yusuke chuckled to himself as he stood, holding his stomach with one hand and using the other to wipe dirt and spittle off his cheek. Using one hand to support himself, he shuffled out into the fresh night air to where Ryouta and the others were waiting beside an ebony monument with gilded silver words inlaid into the stone.

"Trust no one, not even yourself. For all too often, you are your own worst enemy..."

* * *

**  
Characters received since last update: I actually have been really awful about updating the website, so I'll hafta get back to you on that. Once I'm in CA, things should calm down so I can organize a bit. On the downside, I may not have a cpu there...**

**Alwasbhape (and everyone else for that matter)- **I be apologizing of the eternal not postingness that is me. However, I have some very valid excuses regarding the evils of sophomore year (especially western civs). Plus the fact that I kept losing/redoing this chapter. Anyhow... I heard from a couple people that I had angry fans, but personally I don't know who the fans are! If you'd tell me, I'd be much indebted (and much more willing to write more). However, I do admit that I don't think it's quite fair to accuse someone of being rude for not updating when you don't know their situation. In this case, it's quite appropriate, and I'm not at all offended. However, as I have been reminded just earlier today, sitautions can change for the worst rapidly and in ways we don't want to believe are true...

**Admittedly, that was not the entire chappie. But it's eight whole pages long, and only half done at that. So I thought it wouldn't be altogether awful if I gave you a loooong half a chapter. So don't shoot me. Please.**

**Next Chapter: **(see last chappie)


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